Nissan is closing the book on the Altima — a sedan that for years has flowed en masse to Ukraine from Copart and IAA auctions. The company has officially confirmed the model is being discontinued, and the recently launched Rogue Plug-In Hybrid is going with it. For buyers, this is above all a question of price: once the factory stops churning out new Altimas, secondary-market supply gradually tightens, and prices on already-imported units creep up.
What happened
The decision was revealed by Ponz Pandikuthira, Nissan's senior vice president of product planning for North America, in an interview with WardsAuto. As recently as last December, Nissan had unexpectedly promised to keep the Altima for the 2026 model year, but changed course. Now both the sedan and the Rogue PHEV are being dropped to make room for new models — including the expected Xterra.
Pandikuthira did not give an exact date for the Altima's "death." According to Edmunds, a 2027 model-year Altima will still appear later in 2026, after which the model will quietly disappear.
The reason is simple: Nissan doesn't want the Altima competing with the redesigned Sentra, which the company describes as more "grown-up." Once the Altima is gone, the Sentra will be the brand's only sedan — the budget Versa has already been cut, the premium Maxima was discontinued back in 2023, and plans for new electric sedans have been shelved.
How much it costs in the US
The Altima is leaving the market as the cheapest American-built sedan in Nissan's lineup. Its price at the time of the announcement was $28,825. That's one reason the model was so popular at auctions: affordable, widely available, and easy to understand for repairs.
Sales, meanwhile, were falling. Through the incomplete 2026 year, Altima sales dropped 32% — from 62,107 to 42,288 units. The Sentra fell less, by almost 12% — from 85,523 to 75,549 units.
What about the engines
The Altima's last full redesign was eight years ago. For the 2025 model year, it lost its variable-compression turbo engine — its main technical selling point. Now the entire model is being wound down.
The Rogue PHEV is being dropped for a different reason. It's essentially a rebadged Mitsubishi Outlander that Nissan put in showrooms as a stopgap — to have some kind of hybrid under the brand's badge until its own Rogue E-Power arrives for the 2027 model year.
- Altima — discontinued; it's the most affordable US-built sedan in Nissan's lineup
- Rogue PHEV — discontinued after a single model year, having "served its purpose"
- Sentra — remains Nissan's only sedan on the US market
- Overall, Nissan plans to cut 11 models
What this means for Ukraine
The Altima is one of those models that constantly shows up in Copart and IAA listings. There are plenty of imported units already on our market, so the discontinuation itself won't leave you without options tomorrow. The effect will be gradual.
What to expect. As long as auctions are full of 2018–2026 cars, prices will hold steady. But once the assembly line stops, the flow of fresh Altimas onto auctions will gradually shrink, and in a few years the value of existing units will rise. If you're specifically eyeing this model, it's better to buy while supply is still wide.
What it will compete with. In its class and price range, the Altima sits alongside the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Hyundai Sonata — also mass-market "Americans" on our lots. The Camry and Accord traditionally hold their value better, so the Altima often looks like the better deal upfront, but it also has lower liquidity.
What to look at when buying:
- Check the VIN before buying — many Altimas come from auctions after accidents or flood damage, and you need to see the full history.
- On 2019–2024 models, pay attention to the variable-compression turbo engine — it's a more complex unit, and repairs cost more than on a naturally aspirated engine.
- Confirm parts availability for the specific trim — after discontinuation, some parts get pricier over time.
